This may be old news to some, but Douglas Hanes has left the Los Angeles Daily News as publisher, and his house in the exclusive Oaks gated community in Calabasas has left the market marked as sold.

Hanes was publisher of the San Fernando Valley’s daily newspaper for about seven years before the paper began playing Revolving Door Publishers. Hanes and his wife moved to their Newport Beach home after his tenure ended in 2009. The buyer of the Oaks property is a Bank of America executive.

Hanes, who served as publisher-president of the Daily News, was previously senior vice president of advertising and marketing with the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.

The listing price of the five-bedroom, six-bathroom French provincial view estate was originally $3.3 million, but a few reality kicks to the curb later, it was lowered to $2.9 million. According to the MLS, it was sold for $2.55 million. Public records show that Hanes and his wife paid $2.54 million for the property in August 2004. In today’s real estate parlance, that’s called escaping with your shirt.

Pretty nice digs, too, in what is generally regarded as the premier Calabasas address to have. The estate, located at the end of a cul-de-sac, has a pool, spa, built-in barbecue and fountains in the parklike yard. The home has a state-of-the-art movie theater/music studio. There are distressed wood planked floors, and the family room opens to a customized chef’s kitchen with four ovens, Carrera marble countertops, crown moldings, imported chandeliers and customized window coverings.

Doug Arbetman, Coldwell Banker Calabasas, was the listing agent.

Pytka’s Palace

The listing price for commercial director and restaurateur Joe Pytka’s Castillo del Lago in the Hollywood Hills is a little less than $8 million, significantly cooled from when it entered the kitchen at the oven-roasted price of $14.9 million in spring 2009.

The property is arguably the most secure compound in greater Los Angeles – befitting the fact that it was Bugsy Siegel’s hideout. Built in 1926 and with views stretching from downtown Los Angeles to Catalina Island, the home has an open floor plan, 25-foot beamed ceilings in the living room, a wood-paneled library, and a formal dining room with intricate period touches.

Pytka is considered one of the best and most prolific commercial directors in the world and likely made more Super Bowl ads than the rest of the pack combined. But his real love is the kitchen. He once purchased a $35,000 truffle for his popular restaurant Bastide, which reopened on Melrose Place in December.

The home he is selling was purchased from Madonna, who painted it bright yellow with red stripes. Price then: somewhere around $5 million.

Pytka restored the property to the full glory of its heyday and installed a kitchen to die for. The home has an elevator, a luxurious master suite with his and her baths featuring Moroccan tile and turret. There is a wine cellar, media, game room and staff quarters. And the views? Did I mention the views?

Keller-Williams West Hollywood agent Ben Bacal holds the listing.

Doctor Rent

Dr. Harvey Abrams, medical director of Wilshire Aesthetics and considered one of the top liposuction surgeons in the country, has leased his Hollywood Hills home for $8,950 per month. The original lease price of $12,000 apparently needed some excess fat removal.

Abrams also specializes in anti-aging treatments for hands and face, and is regarded a pioneer in correcting the disfiguring side effects that can result from being HIV-positive. He has been quoted extensively on his work with people with HIV, who according to his Web site comprise 50 percent of his patient population. He began his medical career as a neurologist, segued into psychiatry and joined Wilshire Aesthetics in 1997.

The home he leased out is a one-story midcentury with three bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,868 square feet. It has a gated private driveway.

Victor Kaminoff, architectural property manager for Keller-Williams, Beverly Hills, handled the lease listing.

Healthy Living

Jarrow L. Rogovin, the outspoken founder of Jarrow Formulas – a maker and supplier of nutritional supplements – has leased out his Hollywood Hills home for about $5,000 a month – no vitamins included. The house had been on the market for about $2 million.

Besides vitamins, Jarrow Formulas’ product list includes herbal remedies, protein powders, antioxidants and pet health products. Rogovin founded the company in 1977 and incorporated it about a decade later. He holds a particular interest in technology and social change, as indicated by his frequent posts on the company’s Web site. The Jarrow Group is valued at more than $65 million and manufactures close to 400 products, selling them domestically and internationally.

The architectural home he leased out has three bedrooms and 2.5 baths and was completed in 2007. It was previously owned and designed by architect Trinidad Campbell. There are panoramic views of Griffith Park Observatory and Hollywood Hills.

Kaminoff co-listed the property with Steve Sanders, Coldwell Banker Sunset Strip office.

Ann Brenoff can be reached at [email protected].